Apparatus for manufacturing metal catalysts



July 28, 1936. w. BAENSCH ET AL APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING METAL CATALYSTS Filed.April 30, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet l [77V677 fans:

n am p Z mm. W. 6 M A Z 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 I w ne 5 a M rn mam Z I 7 m7 Q 9 r k 1. n i WZO [WaW M fi w Z IIII m6 a W July 28, 1936- w'. BAENscH ET AL APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING METAL CATALYSTS Filed April 50, 1932 v Wafer July 28, 1936. w. BAENSCH ET AL v -APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING METAL CATALYSTS Filed April 30, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 In Vt? 5011s Vader Baensck and Walflila z/rafie Patented July 28, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT- OFFICE API PARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING METAL CATALYSTS Walter W, Mnhlheim-on-the-Buhr. and

Wolf Klaphake. Berlin, Germany, assignors to. Scherlng-Kahlbanm A. 6., Berlin, Germany.

Application April 30, 1932, Serial No. 608,466 In Germany 1 May 5, 193

4 Claims. (01. 23-233) surface of each par'ticle should be presented to the hydrogen asinstantaneously as practicable;

3. The reduced particles should be removed from the hot reaction chamber immediately, and the finished product should be cooled very rap- It is an object of our invention to provide means for producing catalysts which answer the above conditions.

To this end we prefer proceedingas follows:

The powdered material, consisting of oxides,-'

hydroxides or carbonates of metals, this material being, if desired, deposited on a carrier substance, is flnely distributed, for instance by means 5 of a reciprocating distributor or the like, and

passing'through a zone filled with hot hydrogen,

is reduced therein. The reduced particles descend under their own gravity throush av cold gaseous medium such as air in which they are rapidly cooled, and are then collected.

The hydrogen and the reaction material may be made to pass through the apparatus in various ways. For instance they may move in countercurrent, or at right-angles to each other, or in powder may be entrained by the hydrogen after the manner of an injector. Obviously we may also employ a combination of the several modes of operation referred to. v z.

We thus iulflll the above-mentioned conditions and obtain the particular advantage that we can operate in a continuous manner so that only comparatively small quantities of reaction material .need be present in the apparatus the size of whichis reduced in proportion, so that a high performance is obtained in a comparatively small apparatus.

We obtain the further advantage that the finished catalyst is immediately removed from the reaction chamber without getting into contact with unreducedmaterial.

The hydrogen-being gradually'consumed in the reduction of-uth'e oxides or carbonates under for- 'mation of water vapour must be renewed and 2. The reaction period should be short, 1. e.. the a concurrent flow. In the last-mentioned case the thisisbest eiiectedbysettingupaslowilowot hydrogen through the apparatus.

The apparatus according to this invention may be oi the tubular kind'but may also be d as rectangular chambers. e 8

It is particularly important that clogging or sticking of the powdered reaction material'in the apparatus should be prevented. To this end we provide reciprocating or otherwise movable means for the reception and distribution of the powder 10 V and means for shaking them. 1

In order to prevent of particles to the walls of the apparatus we provide means for causing vibration of the walls. Such means may have the form of hammers which are preferably operated so as to strike the walls of the apparatus alternately and not at the same time, as in this manner a more effective vibration is obtained.

It is another object of our invention toga I provide an apparatus which is entirely automatic. To this end we provide a single source of power such as an electric motor, and mechanism, such as belts, chains or the like, connecting the motor or the like to the power-consuming stations of I the apparatus.

It is still another object of our invention to designan apparatus in which the powdered reaction material, instead of descending by gravity, is entrained upwardly or downwardlyby the :0 hydrogen. To this end we provide an injector nozzle which is connected to the reaction pipe or chamber of the apparatus at one. end and to a su ply of powdered catalyst or reaction material at the other, and means for supplying hydrogen to the nozzle which entrains the powdered material.

It is a further object of our invention to increase the efiective length of the apparatus without increasing its overall length. To this end we subdivide the reaction chamberinto a plurality of individual. pipes or chambers arranged side by side and interconnected in such manner that the hydrogen and the powdered reaction material rise and descend alternately in the individual pipes or chambers.

In the drawings afllxed to this specification and forming part thereof several types at apparatus embodying our inventionare illustrated diagramscending reaction material,

Fig. l being adiagrammatic elevation of the complete apparatus, with the heating jacket of the reaction chamber shown in section, while Fig. Zis an elevation of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1, partly in section,

3 an end elevation of the apparatus illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, viewed from the right in these figures, and I Figs. 4 and 5 are sections on the lines IV-IV and VV, respectively, of Fig 3.

Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate an apparatus in which the reaction and cooling chambers have rectangular cross section, the hydrogen flowing transversely to the descending reaction material,

Fig. 6 being an elevation of the apparatus, with its reaction chamber partly in section, and Y Fig. 7 a side elevation of the apparatus viewed from the right in Fig. 6, also with its reaction chamber partly in section.

Figs. 8 and. 9 are partly sectional elevations of apparatus in which the reaction material is entrained by the hydrogen,

Fig. 8 showing an apparatus in which the mixture of material and hydrogen is injected at the upper end of a descending pipe or reaction chamber, while Fig.9 shows an apparatus in which the mixture is injected at the lower 'end of a rising pipe whose. upper end is connected to the upper end of a descending pipe, both these pipes forming part of a reaction chamber.

Referring to the drawi ngs, and first to Figs. 1-5, I is a hopper for the reception of the dry and powdered reaction material, 2 is a screw conveyer in a casing 3 to which the hopper is connected at one end, and 4 is a discharge pipe extending downwardly from the casing 3 at its other end.

will be described below, so that the powder descending through the screen I is distributed very finely. 8 is a short pipe surrounding'the lower end of the caster 5, 9 is a chamber surrounding the lower end of the pipe 3 and I3 is a vertical reaction pipe which is connected to the chamber 3 at its upper end and the casing I I of a second screw conveyer l2 at itslower end.

I3 is a discharge pipe on the casing II for ejecting the finished catalyst. shown as an electric resistance heater, which surrounds the upper portion of the reaction pipe I I and I5 is a cooling jacket surrounding its lower portion- The pipe 10 may be subdivided into an upper heated, and a lower cooled portiona I8 is a hydrogen supply pipe which is arranged below the lowerend of the heating jacket l4, and l! is a discharge pipe which is connected to the chamber 9 for removing the mixture of hydrogen,

water vapour, oxygen and carbon dioxide resulting from the reaction of the hydrogen with the powder. The hydrogen may be heated before being admitted, to the pipe I. The heated particles descend through the pipe I3 and are cooled by the cooling jacket l5 in which a suitable cooling liquid, normally water, flows, I! being the inlet and I! being the outlet pipe for the cooling liquid. The cooled and finished catalyst is delivered to the casing II at the lower end of the ipe 10 and ejected through the pipe 13 by the conveyer I2. g

The means for reciprocating'the caster 5 will now be described. a is a cam-{shaft lwhich 1;

I4 is a heating jacket here mounted to rock in the box 5, 2| is a cam on the shaft, 22 is a'fork which is secured on the rocking shaft at one end, while its arms engage trunnions 23 on the caster 5. 24 is a shaft which is mounted to rotate in the box 5, and 25 is a cam on 1 the shaft 24 which, as the shaft rotates, strikes the cam 2| once per revolution, alternately raising and releasing the caster. 5. 21 is a seating face on the caster and 28 is a seat at the upper v end of the pipe 8. It will be understood that 1] when the caster 5 has been raised in the manner described and is then released by the cams 2|, 26,

it will return to its seat 23 with a jerk by gravity so that the powder is agitated and distributed in the caster and clogging of the screen I is pre- 1| In order to prevent the sticking of particles to the pipe Ill, means are 'provided for'tapping the pipe. I 29 is an annular anvil which is shown as mounted on the pipe Ill near the lower end of 21 the heating jacket I4 but may be arranged in any other suitable position, and 30, 33 are a pair of hammers adapted to strike the anvil 29. Each hammer, 'Fig. 5, is secured to one leg 3| of a'bellcrank lever which is fulcrumedat 32, with its 2| other leg 33 projecting into the path of a cam 34 on a shaft 35. 36 is a spring which tends w pull together the legs 3| of the two levers so aseto apply the hammers to the anvil 23. The other bell-crank lever, with its cam 34, is an exact 34 duplicate of the lever and cam which has been described but the camming members of the cams are pitched at an angle of 180 degs. as, shown in Fig. 3. I

When the shaft rotates, its'cams 34 alter- 34 nately move.the legs 33 of the respective'bellcrank levers'toward the pipe Ill, atintervals corresponding to angles of 180, putting tension on the spring 35 which as soonas thecorresponding leg 33 has been released by its cam, applies the 4 corresponding hammer 30 to the anvil 23 with a sharp blow.

' Preferably the driving mechanism is so designed that .the operation of the apparatus is perfectly automatic and it requires only recharg- 4 ing of the hopper I for its operation. 31, Fig. 3, is asource of power here shown as an electric motor, 33 is a pulley which. is rotated'by the motor at a reduced rate through the medium of a belt 39, 40 is a pulley of smaller diameter on 5 the shaft 4| of pulley 38 and 42 is a belt which extends fromthe pulley 40 to a pulley'43'on a driving shaft 44. Obviously any other means than the belts and pulleys illustrated'may be provided for rotating the driving shaft from 5 the engine or motor 31 at the required velocity. 45 is asprocket on the driving shaft which is connectedto a sprocket 46 on the hammer shaft,

35 by: a chain,,4|. .43 is a second sprocket'on' the driving shaft 44 from which a chain 49 extends 6l downwardly to a sprocket 50- on'the shaft of the helical conveyer I2 at the discharging'endof the apparatus. 5| ,is a third sprocketon the driving shaft on which a chain 52 extends toajsp'rocket 53 on the cam shaft, .24' for reciprocating the 6: caster 5. 54 is a second'snr'ocket' on the shaft 24, and 55 is a chain extending from thesprocket 54 to a sprocket 55 on the'shaft of the, charging helical conveyer 2. By these means the pperation of the apparatus becomes quite automatic. 7' Referring now to Figs. 6"andi7,.th'ese illustrate.

apparatus designed substantially ,on the lines of the apparatus described with referenee'to li'igs.

1-5 and operated in" a similar -manner, but in tercurrent to thepowdered material flows transversely to it. The pipe I0 is here replaced by a chamber 51 of rectangular section, and four cas-- ters 5, each supplied from a discharge pipe 4, are arranged side by side at the upper end of the chamber 51. Obviously any number of casters may be provided instead of four, and we are not limited to chambers of rectangular section.

The hydrogen supply pipe lfi'and the gas discharge pipe H are here connected to headers 58 and 59, respectively. 60 are distributing pipes extending from the inlet header 58 to the chamber 51 and BI are corresponding pipes extending from the chamber 51 .to the discharge header 59. As the volume of the gas is larger at the discharge than at the inlet side, the discharge header 59 has a larger inside diameter than the header 58, andmore pipes 6! are provided than there are pipes lijl.v

The operation of the apparatus is the same as described with reference to Figs. 1-5 but by causing the hydrogen to flow transversely to the descending powdered catalyst an even more intimate mixture of the hydrogen and the catalyst particles is effected than by the countercurrent flow in the apparatus illustrated in Figs. 1-5.

Instead of allowing the powder to descend by gravity while the hydrogen flows in countercur- .rent or transversely to the descending powder particles as shown in Figs. 1-5, and Figs. 6 and '7,

respectively, the particles may be entrained by theflowing hydrogen. Apparatus of' this type. are illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9. v

Referring first to Fig. 8, 62 is a nozzle at the upper end of pipe Hi to which nozzle the discharge pipe 4 of the helical'conveyer. in the casing 3; is connected.- Hydrogen is admitted to one end of the nozzle through pipe [6, entrains the catalyst from the pipe 4' by injector action, and flows down in. pipe- Iil. The caster or casters 5.have not been shown but may be provided if desired for shaking the powder before it is entrained by the hydrogen jet. The heating ,jacket l4 and the anvil 29 with its hammers 30 are provided on the pipe II), as and for the purpose specified.

- The chamber 9 to which the gas-discharge pipe I1 is connected, must in this system obviously be arranged at the lower end of the pipe Ill. The cooling'jacket I5 is placed on an extension ll! of the pipe Ill. -The helical conveyer the casing of which is indicated at II at the lower end of the pipe extension I0 is provided as described above.

Fig. 9 illustrates an apparatus in whichthe mixture of hydrogen and powder first flows upwardly and thereupon downwardly. The pipe in and the parts connected to it are arranged as described with reference to Fig. 8, but the hydrogen supply pipe and the nozzle 62 with the supply hopper and the conveyer casing 3 are arranged below the upper end of the pipe Ill. 64 is a rising pipe to the lower end of which'the nozzle 62 is connected and 65 is a bend which connects the upper end of the rising pipe 64 to the upper end of the pipe I. Heating jackets 66 and 61 may be provided on the pipes Gland on the bend 65, respectively. In' an apparatus arranged as illustrated in Fig; '9 the effective length is in? creased without increasing the overall length. The mechanism for operating the apparatus has not been shown in full .detail in Figs. 6-9 but it is understood that any suitable mechanism may be provided and that the mechanism is preferably automatic as illustrated-in Figs. 1-5.

Instead of providing a single pipe' or chamber in which the reaction, the heating and the cooling occur, as shown, we may provide separate pipes or chambers "for the heating and the reaction, and for the cooling of the finished catalyst. Nor is it necessarythat the pipes or chambers should be connected. For instance, in the apparatus illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7 we might provide an upper box or casing with an open bottom for the reaction and another box or casing with an open top for the reception and cooling of the finished catalyst.

We wish it to be understood that we do not desireto be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described for obvious modifications will occur toa. person skilled in the art.

In the claims amxed to this specification no selection of any particular modification of the invention isintended to the exclusion of other modifications thereof and the right to subsequently make claim to any modification not covered by these claims is expressly reserved.

We claim:---

1. Apparatus for producing metal catalysts comprising a vertical shaft having walls, conveyers at the upper and lower ends of said shaft, 2 a distributor arranged for feeding powdered catalytic material into the top end of said shaft, shaking means operatively connected with said distributor, and shaking means operatively connected with ,the walls of said shaft for insuring the free fall of said material down said shaft and for reducing its bodily contact with the walls thereof and common actuating means for said conveyers and all the said shaking means, means for passing gas having a uniform direction of flow with respect to said material along a portion of said shaft in direct contact with said material oversaid entire portion, means out of direct contact withrsaidmaterial for heating saidjportion and means out of direct contact with said material for cooling the shaft below said portion.

2. Apparatus for producing metal catalysts comprising a vertical shaft having walls, conveyers at the upper and lower ends of said shaft, a distributor arranged for feeding powdered catalytic material into the top end of said shaft, shaking means operativelyconnected with said distributor, and shaking means operatively connected with, the walls of said shaft for insuring the free fall of 'said material down said shaft and for reducing its bodily contact with the walls thereof and common actuating means for said conveyersand all the said shaking means, a gas inletnear, but spaced from the bottom end of said shaft and a gas outletnear the top end of said shaft, meansfor passing a gas from said inlet straight along the interior of said shaft to said outlet in direct contact with, and in counter-current to said material, means out of direct contact with said material for heatings'aid. portion, and means out of direct contact with said material for. cooling the shaft below said portion.

3. Apparatus for producing metal. catalystscomprising a vertical shaft having walls, conveyers at the upper and lower ends of said shaft, a distributor arranged for feeding powdered catalytic material into the top end of said shaft, shaking means operatively connected with said distributor, and shaking means operatively connected with the walls of said shaft for insuring the free fall of said material down said shaft and for reducing its bodily contact with the walls thereof and common actuating means for fisaid conveyers and all the said shaking means, a gas inlet near, but spaced from the bottom end of 5 said shaft and a gas outlet near the top end of saidshaft,meansiorpassingagasfromsaidinletv .low Said inlet.

4. Apparatus for producing metal catalysts comprising a vertical veyers at the upper and lower ends of said shaft,

a distributor arranged for feeding powdered catalytic material into the shaking means operatively connected with the top end' of and shaft.

walls of said shaftiorinsuringthefreefallof shaft having walls, oonits bodily contact with the walls thereof andcommonactuating means for said conveyers and all the said shaking means, as inlets superposed an mum down and 5115:: mm for reducing on one side oi'said shaft. the lowermost inlet being :5 arranged near, but spaced from or said shaft, gas outlets super-nosed on the opposite side of said shaft, the uppermost outlet being the bottom and arranged near the top end oi said shaft; means surrounding said shai'tiorheating the portion of 10 said shatt above said lowermost inlet, and means surrounding -said shaft for cooling the shatt be -low said inlet.

WALTER BAENBCH\. 

